The Ruff is a medium sized wader, with long legs and relatively short bill. The female is called a Reeve. These were found on the flooded Budge Fields at Druridge Bay. The one in the first photo is a small juvenile, very similar to the female, but has unbarred tertial feathers.

The second photo is a more mature juvenile, you can see barring starting to form in its feathers. The broad pink bill suggests it may be a male.

The one below is an adult male, with heavily barred bright feathers. It is still in winter plumage, but just starting to change.

The male is much larger and in breeding plumage is quite spectacular, as it turns a variety of colours (grey/black/brown) with a large feathery ruff around its neck (hence the name). The photos below were taken in April, and this male is in 'pre-breeding' plumage - the real transformation is in May-June.

This final photo was taken in late April, and the throat feathers are developing an iridescent sheen. Ruffs very rarely breed in the UK, so this one will probably move on before developing his full breeding plumage.